1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to agglomerates for reclaiming uncultivated soils, in particular slopes, landfill sites, arid areas as well as golf courses, and also for sustaining vegetation on extreme sites such as flat and pitched roofs.
2. Discussion of the Background
It is known to regulate the water balance of soils by incorporating water retention agents. To this end, the so-called superabsorbers are used, which can absorb a multiple of their own weight of water, forming a hydrogel. A further characteristic of these superabsorbers, which are used specifically for the above-mentioned purpose, is that the stored water is available to plants, i.e. water is extracted from the gel by the suction pressure of the plant roots which have penetrated the gel.
However, distributing the required amount of superabsorbers, which is relatively small, in the soil in a homogeneous and uniform manner is a general problem.
In this context, the prior art describes, inter alia, the preparation and use of gels based on clay minerals and water-soluble superabsorbers (EP-335,653) or other polymeric compositions based on superabsorbers (WO 91/11410). However, the preparation of such gels is very complicated. According to EP-335,653, the gels must be activated in a further preparation step before they are used. In addition, their transport to the end consumer is not without problems due to the high weight of the water-containing gels.
Equally, the preparation of gels from dry compositions, consisting of superabsorber and mineral substances, is not a simple procedure.
A further problem is the incorporation of these more or less viscous, gel-like compositions into the target soil.
It is also known to attach water-insoluble synthetic polymers to non-woven synthetic fibers and to use the products as soil improvers (High Perform. Text. Jun. 1990, p. 6-7).
However, the drawbacks of the prior technologies makes the application of superabsorbers to soil retention, a complex problem in search of a more simple solution.